Latest news with #Kondo
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Mainichi
Japan's scorching summer heat forcing fireworks, other festivals to change schedules
TOKYO -- The extreme summer heat that has struck Japan in recent years due climate change is altering the landscape of annual fireworks and other festivals in the country, forcing the summer events to be moved to spring or autumn. Even so, there are cases where it has been difficult to reschedule the festivals due to their traditional nature. Farewell to fireworks viewing in 'yukata' summer kimonos? The Adachi Fireworks Festival, an annual summer tradition in Tokyo's Adachi Ward with a history of roughly 100 years, is set to be held May 31 this year instead of late July as had been the norm. Last summer, the festival had to be canceled shortly before its start due to an abrupt thunderstorm. By moving the festival forward this year, organizers hope to avoid the risk of cancellation due to bad weather, but "the extreme heat is more serious than just that," points out Adachi Ward Mayor Yayoi Kondo on the ward's official website. Last year, the temperature on the day of the fireworks festival had already climbed to 30 degrees Celsius by 7 a.m., and shortly after 10 a.m. it had surged above 35 C. A security guard was taken to a hospital due to heatstroke and many visitors also complained of feeling ill. As the main venue is located on the riverbed, there were few spots for sheltering from the scorching sun during preparations, taking an unusually serious toll on pyrotechnicians and city employees who were there from early in the day. While Mayor Kondo acknowledged, "Some people want to see the fireworks festival held in summer, calling it a summer tradition," she sought understanding for moving up the event schedule, saying, "The summer lately has significantly changed from what we knew as 'Japanese summer,' where people clad in 'yukata' summer kimonos admired fireworks while cooling themselves with 'uchiwa' paper fans." A representative of the Adachi Tourism Exchange Association said of the schedule change, "We're receiving positive feedback this year, such as 'I can bring my young child'" to the festival. 'Passing down tradition ...' Japan's local regions are also changing the schedules of their traditional events. Toride Jinja shrine's Kujirabune event in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture -- an event appearing on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan" -- will be pushed back from Aug. 14 and 15 to Sept. 27 and 28 this year. In the festival, which dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867), people drag around floats shaped like ships to imitate whaling. Of the nearly 100 participants including staff, almost half are aged 60 or older due to the aging of the community, while elementary school students take on the role of harpooners aboard the floats. While organizers have taken every step possible to beat the heat, such as borrowing mist sprayers from the municipal government, they decided to change the date this year as "it would be too late if any emergency occurred." As the schedule change means the festival will no longer coincide with the Bon holiday season in August, the event this year will be held as part of dedication rites of the annual Gani festival that has traditionally been held at the shrine on Sept. 23. Masahiko Kato, 70, chairperson of the Tomida Kujirabune preservation society association, coordinated with locals and the Agency for Cultural Affairs regarding the date change, and strove to publicize it and secure enough personnel, calling it "a change to pass down the tradition." Event schedules changing across Japan In the Tohoku region in Japan's northeast, organizers of the Soma Nomaoi festival in the Soma region of Fukushima Prefecture, featuring costumed warriors on horseback, have since last year moved up the event from July to May to prioritize the safety of horses and people taking part, after a horse died of sunstroke during the festival in July 2023. Summer festivals in southwest Japan's Kyushu region have also seen a spate of scheduling changes this year. The Wasshoi Hyakuman Natsu Matsuri festival in Kitakyushu is being pushed back from August to September, while the Saga Castle Town Sakae no Kuni festival in the city of Saga, originally held in August, is now due to take place from May 31 to June 1. Difficult to change some festivals However, traditional seasonal celebrations like the "Tanabata" star festival, which normally takes place around July 7, are difficult to reschedule, as their significance would be lost. The Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival, featuring nearly 10-meter-tall decorations adorning the shopping streets in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, used to attract some 1.5 million visitors until 2019, but the number declined to roughly 1.1 million both in 2023 and 2024, with observers attributing it to the scorching summer heat. It is said that some children from day care centers and kindergartens forgo participating in the daytime parades while elderly people also refrain from watching the parades. "As it is a seasonal festival, we are not considering changing the schedule," said an official at the Hiratsuka Municipal Government's commerce and tourism division, adding that the city will install misting fans as a countermeasure against the summer heat. (Japanese original by Shuji Ozaki, Digital News Group)
New York Post
5 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Tired of overwhelming clutter? This bizarre ‘poop rule' could save you — if you have the stomach for it
Marie Kondo sparked joy — but this new method might just spark your gag reflex. A foul-sounding — but weirdly freeing — decluttering method is taking over social media, and people are swearing it's the s–t. Literally. Dubbed the 'poop rule,' it's exactly what it sounds like. Advertisement 'The poop rule is simple: while decluttering, ask yourself, 'If something was covered in poop, would I still keep it?'' Amanda Johnson, a content creator who wiped away and flushed her clutter using this technique, told the Washington Post. 'It's a fun, no-nonsense way to decide what really adds value to your life.' 3 It's called the 'poop rule' — and it's as nasty as it sounds. The viral decluttering test asks: 'Would you keep it if it were covered in crap?' Advertisement While Kondo asked what sparks happiness, this rule just asks what you wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pooper-scooper — and it's catching on fast among the chronically overwhelmed and ADHD crowd. Johnson put the method to the test in her own home and promptly purged 'clothing I hadn't worn in over six months, board games and puzzles we never played or that were missing pieces, and decorative items I was holding onto 'just in case' for a future party.' 'This method is perfect for anyone who feels overwhelmed by clutter or struggles with decision fatigue,' she said. Clutter isn't just an eyesore — it's a mind-melter. Advertisement Dr. Faith Coleman, a medical journalist, warned on that 'when clutter is winning, mental health is losing.' She links messy spaces to impaired memory, poor eating habits, decision fatigue, even relationship woes. 3 Kondo wanted joy — this method wants to know what you wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pooper-scooper. And it's going viral with the overwhelmed and ADHD crowd. And with 40% of homeowners afraid to even face their clutter, it's no wonder the poop rule has become a holy grail for the organizationally exhausted. 'This can be a useful strategy when a person has multiples of an object,' Diane N. Quintana, a professional organizer who works with ADHD clients, told the Washington Post. 'It can help them to quickly pick out their favorite one or two.' Advertisement Quintana also noted that the method works well for visual thinkers: 'Many people challenged by ADHD feel that if they can't easily see something, they don't know where it is — out of sight, out of mind.' And while it's a little stomach-churning, it's also surprisingly clarifying. 'While it is somewhat disgusting to think about,' Ann Lightfoot, co-author of 'Love Your Home Again,' also told the outlet, 'The poop rule is also very clear about what you're willing to do to keep something.' Psychiatrist Jeff Ditzell told the publication that the 'fun' mental game can actually help ADHD brains stay motivated. 3 With 40% of homeowners too scared to face their own mess, it's no surprise this trick is becoming gospel for the hopelessly disorganized. 'This way of achieving your process goals day-to-day actually becomes quite rewarding and satisfying.' Even sentimental items get the sniff test. Johnson kept her great-grandmother's china, because 'it's been handed down, I actually like it, and I use it.' So yes, it passed the poop test — fine china and all. It's a filthy-sounding trick, but the results are squeaky clean. Advertisement Research shows cluttered spaces tank focus, productivity and take up 5% of your time rummaging for lost junk — the equivalent of flushing 5% of your income down the toilet. And if your garage looks like a disaster zone (as 37% of homeowners admit), it may be time to ask yourself: 'If this was covered in crap, would I still keep it?' If not — scoop it, trash it and enjoy the sweet smell of freedom.
Edmonton Journal
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
'Mariko is a diamond': After 17 seasons, Alberta Ballet principal dancer Mariko Kondo's final performance will be in Don Quixote
Article content Kondo played the White Swan. 'I didn't think of going to Dubai at the end of my career,' she says with a laugh, 'But it was something I had never experienced before. The city and the beautiful opera house. Everything was more than I imagined.' But Kondo says the timing feels right for her to take her final bow. 'The injury was a big thing for me,' she says. 'I was injured in 2022, and I had pain since, but somehow I danced. But it is time for me. I don't know, but I just feel physically and mentally, it's a good time.' Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Kondo began dancing at the age of six. She trained at the International Ballet Academy in Japan and Canada's National Ballet School before joining Leipzig Ballet in Germany. While in Toronto, she made a tape of herself as an audition for Alberta Ballet, which was then led by former artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre. She arrived in the city in 2007 during the Calgary Stampede. 'I didn't know anything about the Stampede and I saw people wearing cowboy (hats),' she says. 'It was quite interesting to me. Because I didn't see that in Toronto or any other city. It was nice sunny weather. I didn't think I would stay this long. I was quite excited, that's for sure.'
Calgary Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
'Mariko is a diamond': After 17 seasons, Alberta Ballet principal dancer Mariko Kondo's final performance will be in Don Quixote
Article content Mariko Kondo says she is trying not to think about the end. Article content Article content As the date nears for her final bow as a principal dancer at Alberta Ballet in Don Quixote, she is attempting to keep her mind on the task at hand. But sometimes the reality sinks in. Article content 'For now, I still feel the same,' says Kondo, in an interview with Postmedia. 'I'm just going through my daily routine. Nothing has changed. But recently, I have been going through my photos and my memories. It's quite emotional. It's bittersweet.' Article content Article content After 18 years with Alberta Ballet, Kondo's final Calgary performance will take place on Saturday at the Jubilee Auditorium. She is performing the role of Mercedes in artistic director Francesco Ventriglia's new adaptation of the famous ballet, which will run from Thursday to Saturday. Mercedes dances with bullfighter Espada in the ballet, firing up the production with a sultry and celebratory dance backed by an entourage. Article content Article content After performing in the Nutcracker in 2023, Kondo took a year off after a dance injury. While she initially thought the injury would put an end to her career, she battled back because she was determined to finish on her terms and 'say goodbye from the stage.' Article content Article content Most recently, she performed as Glinda in last month's Alberta Ballet production of The Wizard of Oz. Earlier this month, she performed in Dubai after Alberta Ballet was invited by the United Arab Emirates to perform A Thousand Tales Ballet. Choreographed by Ventriglia, it included pieces from Aladdin, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. Article content Article content Kondo played the White Swan. Article content 'I didn't think of going to Dubai at the end of my career,' she says with a laugh, 'But it was something I had never experienced before. The city and the beautiful opera house. Everything was more than I imagined.' Article content But Kondo says the timing feels right for her to take her final bow. Article content 'The injury was a big thing for me,' she says. 'I was injured in 2022 and I had pain since, but somehow I danced. But it is time for me. I don't know, but I just feel physically and mentally, it's a good time.'
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
Spring Japan Medal Recipients Include Rakugoka Ryutei Ichiba
Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government said Monday it will honor 607 people including rakugoka Ryutei Ichiba and 22 groups for their outstanding contribution to Japanese society. In the spring decoration conferment, taking place Tuesday, the Medal with Purple Ribbon will be awarded to 19 men and a woman who made remarkable accomplishments in the academic, cultural and sports fields. Among them are the 63-year-old rakugo comic storyteller, dancer and choreographer Ryohei Kondo, cinematographer Kozo Shibasaki, and material scientist Takashi Taniguchi. Ryutei, whose real name is Yasuyuki Uto, attracts audience with his cheerful personality and beautiful voice. He served as chairman of the Rakugo Kyokai, a major rakugoka association, between 2014 and 2024. Kondo, 56, has been promoting dance including through public broadcaster NHK's television program for children. He is also working as artistic director at a public theater in Saitama Prefecture. Kondo and Ryutei were awarded the Japanese culture minister's encouragement prize in 2017 and 2021, respectively. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
